Going Back Home
by Monsterchild
Summary: Sequel to Where We Started. Logan and Rogue start their journey back home, but come across a few obstacles. Meanwhile, things are happening at the mansion. And what exactly is Magneto up to?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

AN: Hello, my adoring fans! I promised you that I would have the first chapter up in a few weeks and exactly three weeks later, here it is! Now, this is the prologue, so it is very short, but I promise when I get chapter one up next week, it will be much longer. The title may be changed in the future. Not sure.

With that, please enjoy the beginning of the sequel to Where We Started!

And remember to review!

* * *

Prologue"Why are we stealing this again?" Pyro asked Sabertooth as they crept along the wall separating them from Stark Industries.

The bigger mutant said nothing and kept on his path.

"Like, seriously?" Pyro continued, not recognizing the other mutant's annoyance. "Has Magneto told you anything?"

"I don't ask," Sabertooth growled in return. "Neither should you."

"But I'm just saying!" Pyro rambled on. "Don't you think that he's being way too secretive?"

"We all deserve our secrets," the familiar voice of Magneto called from the dark, "don't you think, John?"

The other two mutants stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face their leader. "Dude, I thought you said that you wanted to let us do this on our own," Pyro said.

Magneto let out an abbreviated laugh. "You actually believed that I would trust you to do this alone?"

Pyro rolled his eyes, knowing that Magneto couldn't see him through the dark. "Okay then, so what's the plan here?"

The oldest mutant looked at him with an even face. "You two are the muscle. Take care of those who stand in our way. I'll take care of the rest."

"But what are we stealing?"

"John," Magneto said evenly, "you talk far too much."

There were panicked voices and hurried footsteps on the other side of the wall. Pyro smiled and clicked his fuel supply, igniting a flame. "Show time," he said with a smirk.

* * *

AN: Please Review!


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Thanks everyone for your reviews of the prologue! I'm glad to know that everyone found the story and is interested in where this might be going. So... read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

* * *

Chapter 1

The hotel room was still as Logan opened his eyes. The sun shone through the flimsy curtains from across the room and he could see the dust floating in the air. This motel was no different than the others that they'd been to in the past couple of months. The air was stale, the sheets were rough, and the wall paper was tacky. Ever since Rogue's truck had been blown up and they only had Logan's motorcycle for transportation, they'd needed to find cheap places to sleep. As he heard the couple in the adjacent room talking clearly about breakfast and the days plans, Logan was unconvinced a cheaper place could have been found.

Rogue was tucked safely in Logan's embrace, his arm lying over her waist and the other pinned under her pillow. He could smell her shampoo. Needless to say, they were both fully clothed. After the explosion, they'd used some of the money Logan had to buy her some new clothes and essentials as well as a backpack to carry everything. She still had Logan's burnt flannel shirt from their battle those few months ago and no matter how much Logan wanted her to, she wouldn't throw it out.

However, Rogue still wore Logan's motorcycle gloves. She had refused to get another pair for herself. She liked having something of his, she often fingered the claw slashes between the knuckles when she was bored, and she liked the way the leather was worn smooth on the inside. His dog tags were also back in their rightful place around her neck.

As she stirred to the beams of sun on her face, Rogue twisted and stretched, arching her back and reaching her arms over her head. She rolled and faced him. Logan chuckled. "You look like a cat when you do that," he said, carefully brushing a strand of hair from her face, making sure not to touch her skin.

She rolled her eyes, even though she was smiling, pressed her back against chest, and snuggled into his body. "It feels good to stretch like that. You should try it sometime."

His grip around her tightened and he pressed a kiss to her covered shoulder.

Of course, since the return of Rogue's powers had made it impossible, they hadn't had sex since that first time. Which, Rogue could tell, was starting to take its toll on Logan.

His hand rested on her hip. Slowly, it slid down the curve of her leg and then back up, grazing over her clothed waist. He pressed his lips to her shoulder and kissed his way along the other. "Logan," she said hesitantly, even though she was leaning into his touch.

He didn't stop. If anything, it spurred him on. His hands explored every curve that he could without touching her skin. "Logan," she repeated, a little stiffer this time.

His lips continued along her shoulders and back, sending goosebumps down her neck and arms.

Rogue loved this. Even the thought of his touch was intoxicating to her. But this had to stop. "Logan!" she snapped, more sternly this time as she rolled out of the bed –and his arms– and stood. "We can't," she said, her hands on her hips. "You know we can't," she continued, still stern but with a pleading understanding in her voice.

"Aw, damn it," he growled, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes, rolling onto his back. "I know, I know."

Turning to look at him, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I wish we could, Logan. But… we just-"

"I know," he groaned, interrupting her. He patted the bed next to him, smiling. "Come lay back down. I swear I'll behave."

Her eyes danced with happiness, and she bit her lip playfully, as if she had to think it over. "Well, okay." She climbed back into bed and snuggled up to Logan, burying her head against his chest.

They laid together for a few minutes in silence. Until Logan's hands began to wander again.

"Logan!" she barked, rolling out of bed again. "Stop!"

He let out an animalistic growl and threw his hands in the air. "I know!"

She pressed a frustrated hand to her forehead. "I mean, Jesus, Logan! I've almost killed you twice before and I won't let that happen again! So whatever you do, don't touch me!"

"Easier said than done, Princess," he grumbled. "And it's not like it would actually kill me."

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "Still, I would like you conscious during sex, if you don't mind. I would assume that that would make it more pleasurable for you."

He chuckled. "Good point."

"I just need to get outta this room," she said, her hands moving to her head.

As she began digging into her backpack, Logan asked, "What are you doing?"

"Well," she said over her shoulder, "the sun is shining, it's warm outside, and for once we're at a place that has a pool." She stood up, a bikini in hand. "I'm going swimming."

"Hey, that's not fair," he said, pointing at her accusingly.

She just shrugged, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, before disappearing into the bathroom. After a few minutes of silence, she reemerged, a towel wrapped around her body.

"You could've changed in here, you know," he said as he finally stood up. "I've already seen everything."

A coy smile graced her lips. "I just thought that would be a little too mean."

"Kid, you're getting into a swimming pool, mostly naked," he said, stepping up to her. "It doesn't get much meaner than that."

Rogue stepped by him, the smile still on her face, and pulled the door open. "I don't know, Logan," she said, letting the towel fall away from her body. "I think it could be worse."

He narrowed his eyes at her as he followed. She dove right into the water as the fully-clothed Wolverine took a seat in one of the lounge chairs which bowed under the considerable weight of his Adamantium skeleton.

After a few minutes, Rogue emerged from the pool and collapsed into a lounge chair next to him. "Why aren't you swimming?"

"I can't swim," he muttered.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You don't know how to swim?"

"I know how to swim," he replied defensively. "I just can't."

She stared at him in confusion for a few more seconds before it dawned on her. "Are you telling me that you sink?" she asked excitedly.

He scowled. "I don't want to talk about it."

Rogue laughed loudly. "Oh my god! You sink!" She continued to laugh then stopped abruptly thinking out loud. "Can you drown?"

He looked at her with a seriousness that almost reflected fear. "I'd rather not test that," he said with an uneasy chuckle.

She smiled reassuringly. "Good idea."

"Let's go get some breakfast, Kid," he said, changing the subject and getting to his feet.

She clambered after him to the hotel room. She got dressed as Logan packed all of their stuff into Rogue's backpack.

They went out to a small diner for breakfast. "I think we need to find a Laundromat," Rogue said as they took a seat at the counter.

"Running out of clothes again?" he asked.

She nodded as the waitress came by and filled their coffee cups and took their orders. Once she'd moved on to her next customers, Rogue asked, "Do Storm and Hank have any idea what's going on with my powers?"

He shrugged. "I haven't talked to them in about two weeks but last time I did, they were as clueless as we are. They want to do some tests when we get back."

She scoffed. "Fun. All the more reason to stay away."

He chuckled in confusion. "Don't you want to know what's going on?"

"Well," she said with a shrug, "I do, but I hate the idea of the tests. And I mean, it's not like they'll…" She sighed heavily then added, "I miss Professor X…"

He nodded in understanding. "I know, Kid. He'd know exactly what's going on…"

Taking a sip of coffee, Rogue said, "I mean, with healing myself, I had just touched you, like, five minutes before. But with the ice? I have no clue."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't? I mean, Bobby?"

She furrowed her brow at him. "What? The only time I've ever touched him skin to skin was when we kissed at his house!"

Logan eyed her. "You what?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, it was when I was still dating him."

"Right," he replied in a short, gruff tone. He didn't like the idea of Ice Cube dating anyone, much less her.

"But my point is," she said, ignoring his obvious sarcasm, "I haven't touched Bobby since then." She hesitated then added, "Well, actually…"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, actually, what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just with the handholding and stuff after I got the cure. But, again, it was after the cure so it shouldn't be a problem, right? I mean, it's not like my powers have some sort of memory card and remember every mutant I've ever touched, right?"

"Don't look at me, Kid," he said with a shrug, looking out the window, "I'm not a genius."

The waitress dropped off their food, asked if they needed anything else, and continued on to her other customers.

They ate in silence and began catching snippets of the news report on the T.V. on the wall. "Five guards were killed last night during a break in at a Stark Industries research laboratory in Maine. Fifteen others were sent to the Intensive Care Unit with severe injuries. Reports vary as several guards say they were attached by two to four mutants, but with the surveillance system destroyed, it is hard to discern anything specific from the robbery. Officials say that they discovered evidence that mutants were, in fact, somehow involved but are refusing to make any statements at this time. Tony Stark has not come forward with what has been stolen, but we have been informed that the technology is unlike anything already in circulation. This is Bill Ritter with Eyewitness News Channel Seven."

Both Rogue and Logan had stopped eating and looked at each other. "You don't think…" she started to say.

"Pyro and Sabertooth?" He scoffed and shook his head. "No way, they only know how to break necks. They couldn't break _into_ Stark Industries, much less break out with anything of value."

Poking at her food with her fork, she asked, "Do you think we should've told Storm that we ran into them?"

He laughed. "It's Sabertooth and Pyro. They're not a threat. Neither of them were the brains of the operation. That was Magneto and nobody knows where he is."

She shrugged. "I guess."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them as Rogue continued to poke at her food. Finally, Logan said, "Hey, I've been meaning to ask, but what did Sabertooth say to you that day?"

Rogue tilted her head at him. "You expect me to remember?"

"Marie…" he said in a warning tone.

"Right…" She paused and thought for a moment. "Um, I think it was something along the line of 'What's a girl like you doing with my brother?'"

* * *

AN: Cliffhanger! I know, evil. Hate me if you want, but if you hate on me too much, I might not post the next chapter. Just saying. Please review!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

* * *

Chapter 2

Tabitha Smith, AKA Boom Boom, ran to the door when she heard the knock. She, of course, knew that it was Bobby. He'd been doing this every morning since she'd shown up at the mansion. He became her very first friend at Xavier's.

Although, Tabby was very aware of the fact that nothing could come of their friendship, despite her hopes. She was also very aware of Kitty and Bobby and their relationship. There was no way that she could get between the two of them.

But… well, there _had_ been those rumors. Apparently, long before Tabby even got to the mansion, there was this chick named Rogue that Bobby had been dating. As it turned out, Rogue got so jealous of the friendship between Bobby and Kitty that she got the cure before running away. Nobody –besides Wolverine, if the new rumors were true– had seen her since.

So was it perhaps possible that the same sort of things could happen _now_? Was there the possibility that Kitty would step down? No. She knew that if she was going to get Bobby to herself, she was going to have to scare Kitty away.

She opened the door and smiled. "Yo, Iceman!" she called happily. "You're early today!"

He shrugged with a wide grin. "Overzealous, I guess."

"Big word," she said with a smirk as she bent over to grab her backpack, making sure he was looking at her tight jeans and the exposed triangle of fabric from her thong. "Kitty teach you that one?"

He nodded, hoping he wasn't caught looking and glancing quickly at the ceiling. "She says that I need to expand my vocabulary."

Tabby rolled her eyes and pushed him out of her dorm room, shutting the door behind them. "I think you talk fine."

"I know!" He smiled at her. "At least you get me, Tabby."

She smiled in return, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Her plans were going well.

"Hey, Tabby, Bobby, wait up!" a familiar voice called to them.

Forge was a lanky kid, only sixteen years old, with shoulder length black hair and light brown skin. He dressed as though it was still the 70's, but with good reason. Only two weeks previous, Forge had fallen through a time rift in the seventies and wound up at the mansion in the 21st century in the second story bathroom. His powers were undefined, nobody could figure out exactly what they were. He was brilliant, he could think up a new invention and have it built and functioning perfectly within the next 24 hours. He was busy at the moment with trying to build a device to help him get back to his own time.

But in his short tenure at the mansion, Forge had become a good friend to Bobby. Bobby could talk to him about a lot of different stuff and expect a straight answer. And it also gave him a viable excuse to give Kitty when he wanted to go hang out with Tabby,

For reasons that Bobby couldn't comprehend, Kitty didn't like him hanging out with Tabby. He couldn't understand it. Forge thought that since Bobby had become "friendly" with Kitty before Rogue had called it quits that it was possible that Kitty was thinking that the same thing could happen now. Bobby thought it was just paranoia. However, just because Forge gave a straight-forward, analytical answer didn't mean that Bobby ever listened to him.

"Hey, Forge!" Tabby called back to him with a hand raised in greeting. "What's happening?"

He caught up to them, out of breath. "I think… I think…"

"Whoa," Bobby said, patting his friend on the shoulder, "dude, breathe."

"I think I figured out how to get home!" Forge finished excitedly.

"What?" Tabby gasped with wide eyes.

He grinned. "I've been working on it and I think I've finally figured it out."

Bobby smiled. "That's great, dude! Explain on our way to the Danger Room."

"Well, you see…" Forge began to explain as they continued on their path.

But Bobby and Tabby weren't really listening to the techno-babble. They focused on the floor in front of them as they walked. It was blatantly obvious that Bobby was trying not to look at her, and she was playing hard to get. Their hands brushed and a blush sprung to Tabby's cheeks as she yanked her hand away, grinning to herself evilly.

Forge chattered away behind them, gesturing his arms wildly and explaining his plans for getting home, as they entered the Danger Room. Kitty was already there waiting for them, along with Peter and Warren, and she didn't look thrilled to see them together.

Ever since Wolverine had gone to find Rogue, the juniors had been on their own with combat training. With Hank teaching a full schedule of classes and Storm busy with classes and her duties as Headmistress, there was no one around to help them train. It was up to the more experienced, like Bobby, Kitty, and Peter to help train the less experienced, like Forge and Tabby and the rest of the new recruits.

Most were younger than them and all were very talented. Elixir was a muscular, blonde, blue-eyed male healer who had decent fighting skills. Icarus had fiery red hair and matching wings and he also had a slight healing factor. Prodigy was a tall, muscular dark-skinned telepath who had the ability to absorb the skills and knowledge of anyone around him. Surge was an Asian girl who had electric blue hair and two robotic gloves that helped regulate the intake of electricity with her power. Wallflower was a cute girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, and she had the ability to control people's emotions through emitted pheromones.

Then there was Wither. He was a… well, a quiet person. He mainly dressed in black and his shaggy brown hair fell into his face. Bobby didn't exactly… _like_ Wither. His ability was to decay an organic matter. It worked on anything carbon based, alive or dead. The decay was quick and if contact is prolonged, he will reduce the matter into ash.

And, though Bobby would never admit it, he didn't like Wither because his powers reminded Bobby too much of Rogue.

"You guys sure took your time," Kitty growled at her boyfriend, flicking suspicious eyes between the two in front.

"Forge was telling us about how he figured out how to get back to his own time," Bobby said innocently.

She sighed annoyed, hoping everything was ok between them. "Okay, well, you guys go get changed, then we'll start."

The three separated to the two different locker rooms. Kitty watched Bobby shoot a winning smile in Tabby's direction, Tabby grinned, looking away with uncharacteristically shy eyes before they disappeared into the locker rooms.

There was no way that what she was feeling was just paranoia.

* * *

Trask Laboratories was going to be more of a challenge, Pyro knew that already. He was no tactical genius, but he knew when news of the theft at Stark had broken out that morning, places like Trask had increased their already outstanding security tenfold. This meant a lot more footwork for him and Sabertooth, and the risk seemed like a lot for no mentionable or immediate reward.

"Are you at least going to tell us this time what we're stealing?" Pyro grumbled as they waited on the edge of the grounds.

Magneto smiled. "All in due time, John."

"Which is your way of say no," Pyro replied in annoyance.

"Precisely," the leader responded in amusement.

Sabertooth watched the exchange in silence. There was no way that he was going to get in the middle of this.

"And how do you expect us to get in this time?" the youngest snapped. "This security is a lot better than at Stark. It's not gonna be as easy."

"Revolution is never easy, John," Magneto said. "However, you were aware of what you were getting yourself into. You joined me of your own free will, if you recall."

"Yeah, I recall," Pyro grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Good. It's almost time to strike. Prepare yourselves."

Pyro flicked on a flame and extinguished it before doing it again. "AS ready as we're ever gonna be."

Magneto smiled again. "Good, let's move, gesturing to the falling slips of paper.."

* * *

Rogue sat on top of the running washer as she tried to calculate how much money they had left. "We're fucked," she determined as she set her notebook down.

Logan, who was sitting on the washer next to her, looked up from his newspaper. The front page story was about the break in at Stark. He was still adamant that it wasn't Sabertooth and Pyro. He was also trying to figure out what the hell Sabertooth had meant by what he said to Rogue. "Nice language, kid," he replied.

"I'm serious, Logan," she said, turning to face him. "After paying for the motel, breakfast, filling the bike with gas, and laundry, we only have 75 bucks left."

"What?" he asked, taking the notebook from her hand. "No, that can't be right!" he exclaimed, thumbing through the loose receipts and pages of math.

"I've kept all the receipts from everything," she explained, gesturing to a falling sheet of paper as Logan flipped through the rest wildly. "I just added it all together. And I repeat, we are fucked."

Logan groaned, running a hand over his face. "And how far are we from the mansion?"

She scoffed. "Well, I don't know the exact mileage, but we're in Texas. Home's New York. They ain't exactly close together."

He thought for a moment in silence then asked, "How close to the border are we?"

Rogue furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't think Mexico is the answer."

He rolled his eyes. "I meant between Texas and Louisiana. I know someone there."

She hesitated. "I don't know. Let's check." She jumped down from the washer and dug a map from her backpack. Spreading it out over the surface of the washer and examining it, she said, "Um, yeah, actually, we're pretty close."

Logan jumped down next to her and looked down at the map. "How far to New Orleans?"

Rogue eyed him suspiciously. "Who do you know in New Orleans?"

* * *

AN: Anyone know where I'm going with this? Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

* * *

Chapter 3

Rogue and Logan walked into the nearly deserted tavern and went up to the bar. They'd already been to a million other bars and taverns, but Logan kept insisting that who they were looking for would be in one of them.

The bartender came up to them. "What can I get you?"

"I'm looking for a guy by the name of Remy LeBeau," Logan explained. "You seen him?"

The bartender eyed them warily. "Who wants to know?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. God, this could take a while. With this bartender's suspiciousness and Logan's unwillingness to share information, it was likely that they would never get anywhere. Many bars had already admitted to seeing the guy, but none knew where he was.

"Just an old friend," Logan said cryptically. "So is he here?"

Silently, the bartender led them toward a door against the back wall.

"Why won't you tell me who Remy LeBeau is?" Rogue asked Logan in a low voice.

"He's just an old friend," he repeated.

"Wow," she said in annoyance, "could you be anymore cryptic?"

The bartender opened the door and ushered them in. Once they stepped inside, the door was slammed behind them, causing Rogue to jump slightly.

The backroom was small, dark, and smoky. In the center, there was a round table which was surrounded by a number of people, each holding a hand of cards. There was a large pile of cash and valuables in the center of the table.

"Logan!" a New-Orleans accented voice called as its owner sat across the room. Rogue looked the man over. He was younger than Logan but older than her. He had shoulder-length greasy brown hair and a goatee to match. His eyes were dark with a hint of red to them, and he wore a long trench coat, hanging off his shoulders and to the floor. In the corner where he'd been sitting, there was a bo staff leaning against the wall.

She glanced back at Logan who was grinning… in a friendly way. "Hey, Gambit," he said as Gambit scooted his chair, walking around the room and offering a hand, "good to see you." As he walked, he drew unfriendly eyes from everyone around the table.

Gambit shook Logan's hand. "Likewise." His gaze caught Rogue, and he smirked. "And who's this gorgeous creature?" he asked, letting go of Logan's hand. His Cajun drawl seemed to hold onto each word and let it go slowly, dragging each syllable out and laying on a thick flirty emphasis where it seemed appropriate.

Rogue saw Logan bristle. "Um, this is Rogue." Logan didn't seem comfortable letting him have this information.

Gambit picked up her gloved hand, whispered, "Enchanté, Mademoiselle," and kissed the back of her hand.

"Careful, Buddy," Logan said when the kiss lingered, "this one's lethal."

Rogue shot him a glare before pulling her hand out of Gambit's grip. "Nice to meet you, Gambit. Or do you prefer to be called Remy?"

That same smirk crossed his face, and his voice was layered with charm once again. "You may call me whatever you like, Darlin'."

Logan's arm wrapped around Rogue's waist protectively. "So I need a favor," he said, cutting the bullshit and moving straight to the point of their visit.

"Just one moment, Logan," Gambit replied, gesturing for them to follow him. He walked back around the table and took his corner seat as Rogue and Logan stood behind him.

They watched in silence as the game progressed. Person after person folded as the pot got larger and the bets got bigger. Soon, Gambit was all in with only one opponent left.

"I raise you twenty," the scruffy man growled as he tossed down a few crumpled bills.

Gambit looked over his shoulder at Logan. "Hey, you got any cash on ya?" It wasn't a desperate question; he was calm and level as he prodded for cash from a friend.

"Fifty bucks, but-" Logan started.

"I'll pay you back when I win," the smug mutant insisted.

Rogue looked at Logan warily as he opened his wallet and handed over the last of their cash.

"I see your twenty and raise you thirty," Gambit drawled, tossing the borrowed bills onto the pile.

The man across the table smile, "I see your thirty and raise you fifty," he said, adding the new bet into the pot.

It was obvious that the man thought he had Gambit on the ropes. But the thief had one more trick up his sleeve.

With a flick o f the wrist, a set of keys was added to the pile. It didn't strike either Rogue or Logan as strange until they saw the "X" keychain. Logan patted down all of his pockets, to no avail, and growled, "How the hell did you get my motorcycle keys?"

Gambit ignored him. "I call."

The man added the last of his cash then placed his cards face up on the table. "Full house, Kings high."

Logan and Rogue exchanged glances: hers worried, his furious. They couldn't see Gambit's hand, but they had a feeling they were screwed.

There was a deep chuckle that broke the silence. Every gaze focused on the laughing Gambit in confusion. Finally, they could see his hand. And they knew that this was not going to end well.

Suddenly, Gambit jumped to his feet and threw the table upwards, sending all the cards and money flying.

Logan immediately jumped into the fray. "A pair of tens!" he shouted at Gambit as he punched one of the other players across the face. "You bet my bike with a pair of tens!"

Gambit shrugged as he swung his bo staff to hit one in the gut, causing him to buckle and fall to the ground. "I thought he was bluffing!"

Slamming another assailant into the wall, Logan called, "Well obviously, he wasn't!"

Finishing off two more, Gambit replied, "Well obviously!" With Logan busy taking care of the rest, and the other men busy with Logan, he started gathering the cash.

Logan was caught off guard and took a chair to the back of the head, but getting up, grabbed a pool cue off one of the walls, and in a matter of moments dropped more than half of them. Rouge was starting to move around the room, trying to avoid the brawling players, and made a move for the door.

Finally dispatching the last two, Logan leaned down and picked up his keys. "You're lucky that I don't gut you," he growled.

Gambit chuckled. "I knew what I was doing, didn't I?"

"Um, Logan?" the hesitant voice of Rogue called in the silence.

Logan and Gambit looked up. The man who had rightfully won the game had an arm around Rogue, holding her back, and a blade to her throat, walking her back into the room.

The two mutants stood, each with handfuls of cash. "Give me the cash," the man growled. "And the keys."

Gambit hesitated. He knew that this guy wouldn't hesitate to kill her. He supposed that this is what he got for playing against high-risk people.

But Gambit didn't see –nor would he have understood the significance of it if he had– what Logan had. Rogue had managed to slip one of the gloves off and was going to strike at any moment.

"NOW!" the man bellowed.

Before anyone could move, Rogue placed her naked hand to his arm. His face went pale and his veins popped against his skin before he collapsed to the floor.

Brushing off her hands and sliding her glove back on, she stepped over his unconscious form. "I wish people wouldn't make me do that," she groaned.

Gambit grinned. "Beautiful and deadly… My kinda girl."

Logan clapped him on the shoulder roughly. "Keep it in your pants, Bub."

They gathered the rest of the cash in what seemed to be a pillowcase Gambit had kept in his coat and got the hell out of there. Rogue and Logan climbed onto his bike and watched as Gambit climbed into a slick black convertible. Logan rolled his eyes. It was just so like him.

They followed Gambit through the backstreets of New Orleans until they arrived at a small dingy apartment building. Both vehicles cut their engines, and the three mutants approached each other. "Where are we?" Rogue asked.

"Just my humble abode, "Gambit replied, gesturing for the others to follow as he waltzed up the steps without much concern for the men they just knocked out and escaped.

They climbed up three flights of stairs and Gambit finally directed them into a small studio apartment. It was bare, with hardly any furniture. There was a bed in the middle of the room, a lamp next to that, and a dresser in the corner. Nothing else.

"You weren't kidding about the humble part," Logan said gruffly.

"It's hard to find a nice place on a thief's salary," he explained as he started stuffing his earnings into the dresser drawers. "It serves its purpose."

Rogue scoffed as she moved to the window, staring out into the street. "I bet it does…"

"If you want, Darlin', Logan can make himself scarce and the room can serve its purpose right now," he called to her, licking his teeth as he grinned.

"Watch it, Bub," Logan growled, "or I'll-"

"Logan," she said warningly as she moved back across the room. Once she reached him, she whispered, "We came here for a reason, remember?"

"Right," he grumbled. He looked up to his friend. "So, Gambit, about that favor. Seeing as you just came into some money, you think you can throw some of it our way?"

Gambit looked up at them but said nothing.

"We've been traveling," Rogue explained. "And we need to get back to New York. But we've run short on cash, no way to get back. We were in Texas and…"

He interrupted with a snort and smiled. "And you came to little ol' me for some cash?" Standing, he leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair. "Well, while I'd love to help out an old friend and a damsel in distress, I'm afraid I must decline."

* * *

AN: I know, I'm mean. But don't worry, you'll get another chapter next Wednesday. And this may just be because I'm the writer, but I see Gambit becoming a problem. Guess you'll just have to wait and see. Please review. MonsterChild.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

* * *

Chapter 4

"How the hell are you doing that?" Bobby asked Forge as they played Halo. The younger mutant kept pulling off moves that shouldn't have even been possible.

Forge shrugged. "No idea." Which wasn't exactly true. He was using his technopathic abilities to manipulate the game. "So what's on your mind?"

Bobby's eyes were glued to the game. "Why do you think that something's wrong?"

Again, the genius shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe because it's a Friday night, and normally, you would be spending it with Tabby or Kitty. Instead, you're here, getting your ass kicked by a sixteen-year-old who had never even played this game until last week. So spill."

The icicle sighed. "I guess I'm just confused."

"Okay," Forge replied, pressing buttons rapidly. "Confused. Good. An emotion. We have a good place to start. Now, why are you confused?" he asked, cracking a rifle butt over Bobby's head.

"Oh, come on!" Bobby shouted at the game in frustration as he mashed the buttons. Calming down, he explained, "It's about Tabby and Kitty."

"Well, I just assumed it had to do with the two felines in your life," Forge replied, putting a bullet through Bobby's head from across the map.

"It's just…" he started. "I'm dating Kitty, right? And I like her and everything, and –How the hell are you doing that!?– we've been going out for a long time now. And that's good and all, but the spark is gone, ya know?"

"The honeymoon phase of your relationship is over, man," the 16-year-old explained. "It's moving on to the better part. The long term commitment part." A plasma grenade attached to Bobby as he came around a corner.

"It's just not that fun with Kitty anymore," Bobby admitted, firing at the bridge Forge was hiding on. "But Tabby… Well, Tabby is fun, sexy, she makes me laugh, –Will you just die already!?– and I can be myself with her. I feel like I always have to impress Kitty, ya know?"

"Yes, Kitty does expect a lot from you, but that's because-" Forge started, lobbing a grenade over the low wall and sticking it to Bobby's helmet.

"Exactly!" Bobby interrupted. "But not Tabby. She knows exactly who I am and expects nothing more. And call me crazy, but I think she's into me."

"I'm surprised that it took you this long to notice," Forge quipped, dropping Bobby once more with a pistol whip. "She's been dropping you hints for as long as I've been here. And that girl is as about as subtle as a stick of dynamite."

"So she _is_ into me! I knew it!" Bobby called triumphantly. "Damn it! Will you quit sniping me?!" The button mashing continued as he asked, "What should I do about it?"

Forge sighed. He didn't know why he even tried to talk to Bobby. Everything he said just went in one ear and out the other. "Well, I would suggest-"

A knock interrupted him. Tabby poked her head in. "Hey, Drake!" she said excitedly. "I thought you might be here. Wanna go study with me in the library?"

"Sure!" he agreed, dropping his controller and getting to his feet. "Forge keeps kicking my ass anyways."

"Didn't he just hear about Halo for the first time like… Thursday?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow and biting her lower lip.

"Yeah, yeah," Bobby muttered, turning to Forge. "Later, Buddy. You can kick my ass some other time."

Forge just shook his head disapprovingly as they left. That boy would never learn…

Bobby and Tabby occupied a table in the far corner of the library. It was a Friday night, so it was fairly deserted anyway but being in the corner eliminated the possibility of them being a distraction for anyone.

"So what do we wanna work on first?" Tabby asked, clipping her short blonde locks to the top of her head. Her bright red tank top had a low neck line and stopped a good two inches before the top of her skirt, which didn't even reach her knees. She was dressed to kill. "Oh, let's start with Mutant-Human relations. Now, where is my book?" She pretended to look for the text book until she spotted it: on the other side of Bobby. "Oh, there it is!" And with that, she leaned over him to reach it.

Bobby could smell her shampoo, Coconut, and her closeness sent a pleasant shiver up his spine. Her skin looked… just…

Finally retrieving her book, Tabby sat up with a smile. "Okay, so we're supposed to know chapter six for the test, right?"

He didn't respond. He just stared blankly at her.

"Hellooo? Bobby!" she exclaimed, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" he asked, finally snapping from his stupor. "What?"

She smiled. "You okay?"

"Um, yeah…" He glanced down at his watch, then corrected, "Actually, no. I forgot I was supposed to meet Kitty to watch a movie." He started gathering his books. "Rain check?"

Tabby nodded with a smile. "Sure thing."

He hurried out of the library. Tabby sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than anticipated.

* * *

Kitty waited impatiently for Bobby in the T.V. room. He was supposed to meet her 15 minutes ago. She knew that she had reason to worry, despite what he said. Tabby was not to be trusted.

"Hey, Baby," Bobby said, breathing heavily as he ran into the room, his school bag slung over one shoulder. "Sorry I'm late. I was studying and playing Halo with Forge."

Kitty knew that the studying part wasn't true. Forge never needed to study. So why did Bobby have his school bag? But she didn't question it. "That's cool, Bobby," she replied. "Let's pick a movie."

They chose the movie and sat together on the couch. Bobby put an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into him. She snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

To anybody else, it would've seemed like they were perfectly happy. No one could tell that Kitty was worried about Bobby and Tabby, and no one could tell that he no longer had feelings for Kitty.

* * *

Pyro clicked a flame on and off, trying to keep himself in check. Again, Magneto needed something taken from a high-security facility and was refusing to divulge any details.

"The object we are retrieving is in the south wing of the building," Magneto explained. "Our best option is to-"

"This is stupid," Pyro interrupted as he extinguished a flame. "Why should we risk our lives to get you something that you refuse to tell us about?"

Magneto looked at him with his even gaze.

"I mean, after Stark and Trask," Pyro continued, "breaking into Roxxon? Are you fucking _nuts_?"

The leader smiled and got to his feet. "I would suggest you keep your mouth shut, John, otherwise you may not be considered as useful as you once were." His voice was even yet cold. Magneto never raised his voice, but that was really more terrifying then any roar Sabertooth could ever muster.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pyro challenged. And immediately regretted it.

"You know exactly what it means," Magneto said with a little more inflection in his voice. "Now… May I continue?"

The fire starter nodded as he started playing with his flames again.

* * *

Bobby stared down at the phone in his hand. Talking to Forge hadn't helped, and there was no way he could talk about this with Kitty or Tabby. There was only one person he could talk to.

It was late, but with a sigh, he dialed.

* * *

AN: So, there it is. I'll give you ten bucks if you guess correctly who Bobby is calling. Just kidding. Pretty boring chapter, I know. But it's just building up for the fun stuff. Anyways, please review.

Oh, P.S.: This is the second installment in a series of at least five stories (including this one and the first). Yes, yes, I know. It's awesome. But I'm issuing you all a challenge: name the series. I know, I know, that's supposed to be my job as a writer, but I can't seem to think of one that fits. So, I'm asking for your help. Throw out any ideas that you have.

Thanks.

Your beloved writer,

MonsterChild.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. Or any of the characters. Seriously. I own nothing and no one. Forge and all the other new mutants are from the comics or TV shows. No joke. Even the news caster from chapter 1 is a real dude. I swear I'm not kidding. But I do own the plot. So I guess that's something.

AN: Thanks to Devistat0r who actually threw out ideas for the title of the series. You are now reading the second installment of the Stand Together series. Thanks again, Devistat0r.

* * *

Chapter 5

"No?" Rogue asked in surprise. "After all the shit that you just put us through, you won't even-"

"It's not my problem, Darlin'," Gambit interrupted as he kicked the drawer shut. "I rightfully stole that money. You can have your fifty back, but I don't owe you a damn thing, girly."

"You wouldn't have made it out of there if it wasn't for us," she snapped, taking a step forward.

Logan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Marie, calm down."

Before she could reply, Gambit said, "Maybe we can work out some sort of deal." There was a heavy suggestion in his voice, and his eyes roamed over Rogue's body with a certain… interest.

Both Rogue and Logan understood the meaning. "Hey, Bub," he snapped, "that's-"

Rogue used an arm to hold him back. "What was that about keeping calm?"

Logan grumbled low, thinking about ways to make Remy regret his constant prodding. "I swear, if this guy doesn't stop hitting on you," he growled in a low voice, "I'm gonna make sure that he-"

"Will you stop?" she interrupted. "We need money and if you piss him off, he probably won't give it to us…"

Picking up a harmonica, Gambit said, "Regardless of how you treat me, I won't be contributing to your little road trip." He chuckled to himself and began to play

Logan sighed, narrowing his eyes. "Then why don't we hurt him and just take it?"

Gambit chuckled, standing and tucking the instrument into a pocket. "My friend, all I'm suggesting is that young Rogue here needs a man who knows how to take care of a beautiful woman like herself," he replied, reaching out to touch her cheek.

She swatted him away with a gloved hand. "I already have one," she snapped.

"I'd like to meet him one day, Cherie," he said with a sly grin, glancing over at the now bristling Wolverine.

Logan took a step forward, but Rogue pressed a hand to his chest to stop him. "Look," he growled at Gambit, "are you going to help us or not?"

Gambit looked to Wolverine. "I'm sorry, old friend, but I cannot give you my money."

Rogue sighed, "Great. Just great." She turned away from them, her hands on her hips, trying to think. Finally, after a moment, she whirled on them. "What are we gonna do, Logan?"

"Well, Kid, it looks like we're stuck here," he said, backing away defensively.

She glanced over at Gambit who was eyeing her again with a smirk. "I'd rather be stuck in Texas," she grumbled.

"My friends," Gambit said, laying back down on the bed and bringing their attention back to him, "let me help you in some way. You can stay here tonight while you consider your next move."

"How kind of you," Rogue spat sarcastically.

"And what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't offer the young lady a place in my bed?" he offered with an eyebrow raised suggestively, winking before adding, "I will, of course, be joining you."

Logan's muscles clenched, but he couldn't get a response out. Rogue beat him to the punch with, "I'll sleep on the floor with Logan, thank you very much."

* * *

Logan and Rogue slept in the corner opposite of the dresser. Even though he was certain that Gambit was out cold, the semi-conscious Logan kept an arm around the sleeping Rogue. He felt like he needed to keep an even closer eye on her while Gambit was around. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but Gambit had always been a slippery character.

About three that morning, Rogue shifted in his arms, turning so she now faced him. Sleepily, she opened her eyes. "Hey," she said softly, "you're still up."

"Yeah," he replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face while making sure he didn't touch her skin.

"You okay?" she asked, her eyes gazing up at him in concern.

"I'm fine, Kid," he replied as he pulled her flush against him. "Just thinking how to get us back home…"

She chewed her bottom lip and looked away from him. "Um, well, there's one option I haven't mentioned yet…"

"I don't think gutting him is an actual option," he said, a slight smile on his lips.

"No, it's not that…" She pulled away from him and sat up, bringing her knees to her chest. "Um, we're not far from Mississippi… With the fifty bucks that Gambit owes you, I think we could make it back to my parents' place…"

While the idea seemed like a solid one, Logan knew that there was a reason she hadn't mentioned it before. "But…" he pressed.

"Well," she said slowly, spitting out what she had been mulling over for the last six hours since they had met Gambit and had to flee a bar fight, "first of all, how do I explain you? You're a teacher at the school who I've been travelling around the country with for the past few months? Oh, and we're sorta dating but not really 'cause I can't touch you because my powers came back? And how do I explain to them about my powers coming back?"

Logan realized she had been thinking hard about this. "That's a lot to think about." Looking back, he remembered when he'd met her parents. They'd been so excited that she was "normal" again. Telling them that it all came back would be the most difficult thing for her.

"Okay," he said, sitting up, "so we'll leave that as a last resort. If we have no other options, we'll go there."

She nodded.

Gambit grumbled something incoherently in his sleep.

"You know," Rogue said thoughtfully, "we could probably just take some money and run."

Logan chuckled. "I've thought about that, but-" Suddenly, he froze, sniffing the air before jumping to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Gasoline," he grumbled as he moved to the door. "God damn it, can't Pyro just leave us the fuck alone?"

"Logan, careful," she warned as she got to her feet.

He looked over at his shoulder at her. "It'll be fine, Marie. It's just Pyro."

But he stopped in his tracks. In the dim light, he could see the pungent liquid seeping through the crack under the door, the puddle running along the floor. "Shit…" he growled before rushing back toward Rogue.

"What's wrong?" she repeated as he took her by the arm and dragged her toward the window.

"That's not Pyro," he said hurriedly, trying to pry the window open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Then who is it?" she asked, glancing back at the door.

At that instant, a voice called from the other side of the door, "No one steals from me!" before the blue flames ran from under the door to the outskirts of the puddle.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" Rogue growled, storming over to Gambit's bed. "Remy, wake up!" she demanded, shoving him out of his bed.

He bounced up to his feet, looking around wildly. "What? What's going on?"

"That guy you stole from at the bar?" she shouted over the roar of the flames. "Yeah, well, he's back and I think he's pissed!"

"Why the hell is your window sealed shut?" Logan snapped at him.

But Gambit wasn't listening. He ran over to the kitchen with a duffel bag in hand and threw open the freezer before he started pulling out stacks of cash. The rest of the world seemed to go ignored by the thief. Like the fact that the flames were getting bigger.

"Aw, fuck!" Logan growled, kicking the sealed bay window. The glass broke, and he kicked away the remaining fragments. "Let's go!" he barked at Gambit.

Finally finished with the freezer, Gambit tossed all the cash into a duffel bag before going to the cupboards. He didn't respond to Logan.

The flames were growing and approaching fast. There wasn't much room in the shoebox apartment and if they didn't get out soon, they'd be caught in the flames. That's when a thought occurred to Rogue: she could stop it.

"Rogue, what the hell are you doing?" Logan barked at her.

She stood in front of the flames –too close for Logan's comfort– with her hands stretched out in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she focused her energy in trying to extinguish the flames with ice. But nothing happened, she felt her skin tighten and her mouth dried out as the last moisture made a little cold mist.

"Shit…" she grumbled, blinking rapidly, her eyes burning as they dried out.

"Rogue!" Logan yelled as he kicked the window frame from its casing, sending it tumbling to the sidewalk below.

Again, she focused. There had to be a way to stop the flames. As she thought it, the flames started shrinking. She stayed on that thought until the flames had almost completely disappeared.

"How did you-" Logan started to ask as Rogue turned toward him.

But as soon as she turned her focus away from the flames, they sprang back to life and started climbing the walls and peeling away the paint, eliciting a scream from her. She turned back, focusing her attention back on the fire.

Logan picked up Gambit's mattress and threw it effortlessly out the window, making it sail to the ground below.

"Why'd you do that?" Gambit snapped, finally realizing everything else that was happening around him.

"Softer landing," Logan growled in return.

Gambit returned to filling the duffel bag, most of his hiding places emptied now.

"Will you hurry up?" Rogue shouted. She was steadily losing control of the flames, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold on. The room was filling up with smoke, making it harder to breathe.

Logan moved to the dresser to help Gambit gather the rest of the cash. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated violently. "Who the fuck?" he growled as he pulled it out of his pocket and answered. "Hello? Bobby? No, you can't talk to Rogue! Not a good time, Kid!"

Rogue looked over at Logan as he hung up. Bobby? Why would he be calling for her?

With her attention somewhere else, the flames roared to a new life, knocking her backward and to the floor.

Gambit finally finished emptying the drawers and ran for the window. There wasn't even a second of hesitation before dove to the mattress below.

Logan took Rogue by the hand and pulled her to her feet. She wobbled uneasily as he pulled her toward the window. The use of the strange powers had left her feeling weak and her close proximity to the fire hadn't helped.

He helped her into the window and gave her a nudge, making her jump out. There was a tense moment for him as he watched her free fall until she landed safely on the mattress. Gambit helped her to her feet then signaled Logan to jump.

He leapt out the window and landed on the mattress. The impact didn't seem to faze him as he rushed over to Rogue, who was barely standing with Gambit's help. "You okay, Kid?" he asked, pulling her from Gambit's grip.

She wavered uneasily. "Just dizzy. The fire… and I'm not used to Pyro's powers."

"Pyro's?" he asked, trying to get her gaze to focus on him. "When did you get Pyro's powers?"

"Outside Bobby's house," she explained dizzily, gripping his arms tightly as she tried to ground herself. "There was a cop car on fire, I had to stop it." She was finding it hard to stay awake.

"C'mon, sit," he insisted, helping her down onto the mattress. That was when he first really felt the mattress. It felt normal at first but there was a bit of a weird give to it towards the middle that made a crumpling noise. "What's in here?" he asked the thief.

"Money," Gambit replied as though it was obvious.

Rolling his eyes, he looked back to Rogue who was starting to get color back into her face and seemed to be more stable. "You doing better?"

She nodded. "Yeah…"

"Can you get on the bike?" he asked.

Another nod. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good," he said, pulling her to her feet.

Sirens erupted in the air, startling Gambit. "Unless we want to be stuck in questioning for the next week, I suggest we move this to another location." Logan ran to the car with a stumbling Rouge in tow.

Logan and Gambit started loading the mattress into his car when Rogue spotted Logan's cell phone on the ground. She picked it up and pocketed it, knowing that Storm would throw a fit if they lost it. She mounted the bike, using it to balance, and Gambit instructed Logan, "Follow me."

They drove through more of the backstreets until they reached an empty bar. Gambit gestured them to follow him inside.

The bar was dark and dingy and dirty, just like the ones that Rogue had stopped at when she'd been travelling alone, only emptier and less welcoming.

The three took a seat at the bar and Gambit turned to the other two. "Does trouble just follow you?" he asked Logan. "First that thing all those years ago with Creed and Stryker, and now this?"

"Whoa, whoa," Rogue said, leaning around Logan to look at him. "Stryker? How do you know about Stryker?"

Gambit looked to Logan who was looking at him, waiting for an answer. "You wanted my help finding Stryker and Creed. There was some unfinished business apparently."

"Who's Creed?" Rogue interjected again before Logan could speak.

Gambit gestured to the bartender for a drink. "You probably know him. Fangs, claws, muttonchops, more animal than man." He chewed on a peanut, thinking for a second. "Looks a little like this guy but bigger."

"Sabertooth…" Logan growled. "Who is he?"

The bartender placed a drink in front of Gambit, who downed it in a matter of seconds. "He's your brother," he replied. "I think." He honestly didn't know, but they looked enough alike, and they hated each other. It sounded like all the brothers he had met before and since them.

"That's why-" Rogue started.

"Cool your jets, Darlin'," he interrupted. "Before you press for any more, I have questions of my own. If I'm gonna go with you-"

"Go with us?" Logan asked. "What makes you think you're coming along?"

"Well," Gambit said, "my apartment was just destroyed and I have all the cash. I'll fund the trip to your place, and I get to come along. Deal?" He held out a hand to Logan, waiting for the answer.

Logan sighed and clasped Gambit's hand. "Deal."

"Now where are we going again?" the thief asked.

Rogue pinched the bridge of her nose. This was gonna be an interesting trip.

* * *

AN: Ah, this should be interesting. It gets better. Worlds collide next chapter. Keep up those reviews! MonsterChild.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own X-men. Wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

Chapter 6

Bobby still couldn't sleep, but it didn't really matter anymore since it was seven in the morning. He'd been lying in his bed wide awake since he'd called Logan. The fact that Logan had sounded out of breath and insisted that it wasn't a good time was a little frightening to Bobby. Could Logan and Rogue really have been…? No, there was no way. Her powers had come back, right? Didn't they? That was why they sent him, right?

It had been a few hours since his first call. Was it possible that this time he could talk to her?

He picked up the phone from the floor, took a deep breath, and dialed the number again.

* * *

Rogue opened the motel room door and dropped her backpack next to the bed. Since none of them had gotten much sleep, they'd agreed to find a motel to get some rest before hitting the road again. Rogue had gone ahead to the room while Logan and Gambit went to park the car and bike in the garage.

She kicked her shoes off and just as she laid down, the phone in her pocket started to vibrate. She'd almost forgotten that she'd picked it up.

She pulled it out, and yawning, answered it. "Hello?"

"Rogue?" a familiar voice said on the other side.

She sat up in surprise. "Bobby?" she squeaked. "What… Why are you calling me?"

"I'm freaking out, Rogue," he replied, sounding like he was.

Stifling a yawn, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Bobby… I am going off of very little sleep and just escaped a fire set by a mad man. I am not in the mood for guessing games. Just tell me what's going on."

"I've fallen for someone besides Kitty," he explained.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. He had to be kidding, right? "What? Who?"

Bobby explained all about who Tabby was and how close they had gotten, not to mention all the hints that she'd been dropping. "This is just so confusing," he whined. "I want someone who can give me a straight answer."

"And that's me?" Rogue responded, feeling annoyed. The whole story had made her blood boil. Why couldn't he just be satisfied with the girl he was with? Why was he always looking for something better? He'd pushed Rogue away and now he was doing the same thing to Kitty. It wasn't fair.

"Well, yeah," he replied. "I can't talk to Kitty or Tabby and my friend, Forge, can't seem to give me a straight answer. I need you to tell me what you think."

She drew a sharp breath. Really? He wanted to know what she _really_ thought? "Um, I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Bobby…"

"Why not, Rouge?" he asked. "You can always tell me what you think. I know you want to."

Oh boy, did she want to. She _really_ wanted to tell him _exactly_ what she thought. But telling him that he was a fucking idiot and then hanging up didn't seem too productive. "Well, what exactly do you like about Tabby that's different from Kitty?" she asked. Maybe there was a good reason.

"Well… I don't know," he admitted with a sigh. "Tabby's just so beautiful… and sexy…"

So far, he wasn't winning any points with her.

"…And she's so fun," he continued. "She's really funny, too. I think you'd like her."

"I'm sure I would," she replied in a sarcastic monotone. "What else?"

Again, he sighed. "I guess… Tabby just gets me, you know? Like, Kitty is always pushing me to be something I'm not. She says I have all of this 'potential.' But what if I don't want be better? What if I'm content being me, ya know? Tabby doesn't care. She likes me for who I am. It doesn't matter if I _can_ be a better person. You know?"

"Well, Bobby-" she started, switching the phone from one ear to the other.

"Tabby gets me," he repeated. "Better than Kitty does." He talked like he was comparing soda brands, not people.

She tucked her legs underneath her. "So what does that mean?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice. Maybe she was still mad at him for doing this to her so long ago. "Are you just gonna dump Kitty for Tabby?"

"I don't know," he grumbled miserably. "I mean, I don't want to hurt Kitty, but Tabby is just… so… _right_ for me. I just don't know what to do."

Rogue sighed and fell backwards to splay out across the bed. "I _really_ don't think I'm the one you should be talking to…" She knew that she was a little too personally invested in this to be fair.

Bobby groaned in frustration. "You're the _only_ one I can talk to!" he whined. "You're not personally involved, you know?" There was a pause before he said in a more serious tone, "I need you to tell me what to do."

A red-hot fury coursed through her veins. She wasn't personally involved? How could he say that? Slowly, she got to her feet and began pacing. She knew what she wanted to say, but her more polite mind didn't want to let her say it.

"Rogue?" Bobby said into the phone when she didn't respond.

She took a deep, calming breath and replied slowly, "I know exactly what you should do."

"What, Rogue?" he pressed. "What should I do?" He was excited now, his voice was almost cracking over the whole thing. Finally someone was going to give him a solid answer.

And she snapped. She finally lost it on him, and let loose the last two years of pent up anger she had burning deep inside. "You need to grow up and try being happy with what you have!" she screamed at the top of her lungs into the phone. "You sabotaged _our_ relationship to be with Kitty, and now you're fucking up _that_ relationship to be with _Tabby_?"

"Rogue-" he tried to say.

Rogue had never felt so angry in her entire life. "And you think I'm not emotionally involved?" A short, humorless 'ha' fell from her mouth. "I feel _bad_ for Kitty! I know what she's going through!" She growled in frustration. "You just keep _fucking up_ your life because _you_ always need to go for the next best thing! You can't just be content with what's in front of you!" Running a hand through her hair, she seriously felt like ripping it out.

"Hey-" he started defensively.

"You don't seem to even _care_ about the other people you're hurting! Have you told Kitty about what's bothering you? Have you _even _thought about how she feels about all of this? Or how _I_ felt way back then?" She took a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice. "Grow up. Stop being so goddamn selfish and grow the fuck up."

She felt satisfied with her statement, but then another thought hit her. "Stay with Kitty," she said, "and get over yourself."

Rogue could hear Logan's voice outside the room along with Gambit and panicked. Before Bobby could say anything else she pulled the phone away from her ear, snapping it shut and throwing it across the bed.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down. She had to be calm before Logan came in, otherwise he'd notice.

* * *

Kitty heard everything. At least Bobby's half of everything. Tabby and Bobby… her worst nightmare was a reality.

She moved away from Bobby's bedroom door. She had decided that morning that she would wake him up and bring him coffee, before he went to get Tabby. Now, it seemed like a bad idea.

Moving quickly, she went back down the hall to her own room. She set the two cups of coffee down before throwing herself down onto the bed.

How could she have not realized what was going to happen? Bobby had a history with this kind of stuff. Because of her. She should've known. If history _wasn't_ repeating itself, then it was stuttering a lot on the subject.

Now she understood why Rogue did what she did. Why she got the cure. There was this need to do whatever possible to keep Bobby.

But for Kitty… now there seemed to be no point.

* * *

Bobby looked down at the phone in astonishment. He had asked her what she thought and, whoa, he sure got it. He hadn't been expecting her to yell at him like that.

At least she told him the truth.

But he wanted her to explain to him more. And hopefully in a calmer manner.

Taking a deep breath, Bobby dialed yet again.

* * *

Logan let himself into the hotel room that had been assigned to him and Rogue. Gambit got his own room, boasting that he had that kind of cash.

She was inside, sitting on the edge of the bed, still wide awake. She looked a little flushed. When she saw him, she smiled. "Hey," she said, sounding out of breath.

Logan approached her, crouching down in front of her. "I expected you to be asleep by now. You okay?"

She nodded a little too enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said tiredly.

"You don't seem okay," he said, taking her gloved hands in his. "Tell me what's wrong."

With a shake of the head, she insisted, "There's nothing wrong."

The phone on the bed buzzed loudly, and Logan groaned. "Must be Storm," he said as he stood and reached for it.

"Wait… don't-" she started, but it was too late.

Flicking it open he barked to the receiver "Hello?" he said into the phone. There was a pause as the other person on the line spoke. "Bobby? No, you can't talk to Rogue." He paused for a second. "Because you're an ass." There was another long pause and Logan looked to her. "What do you mean you just talked to her?"

Rogue looked away from his prying eyes, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Gotta go," he growled before snapping the phone shut.

AN: I know, I'm mean to them. But things will get better, I promise. Please review.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

* * *

Chapter 7

"You were talking to Bobby?" Logan asked stiffly, keeping a good distance between them.

Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, in more of a protective gesture rather than attitude, and chewed her bottom lip, tearing her gaze away from him. "Yeah… sorta…"

"And you weren't gonna tell me," he replied with no question to it.

"Didn't see the point," she muttered. "It's not like it's a big deal…"

Logan sighed. "I don't care that you talked to him, Kid," he said tiredly.

She looked up at him in surprise. "You don't?"

He shook his head, but there was something about him that told Rogue that something was wrong. "Then why-" she started.

"Why did you hide it?" he asked harshly, rubbing his jaw.

"Um, well…" she stammered. "I just… it wasn't a big deal, okay?"

Logan had to force himself to keep his voice even. "If it was nothing then you wouldn't have hid it."

"Oh, that is neither here nor there," she replied, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "I just… I know how you get."

"How I get?" he repeated pointedly. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You get unbelievably jealous over stupid shit," she said in annoyance.

"Over stupid shit?" he snapped. His patience was practically all gone now. "Hiding the fact that you were talking to your ex is not stupid shit."

"But it's not just Bobby!" she growled. "_Any_ guy that gets too close! I'm surprised you haven't _killed_ Gambit!"

"He keeps hitting on you!" Logan barked, moving closer to her. "And it's really starting to piss me off!"

She scoffed. "Well, I wasn't the one who invited him along," she shot back.

"Neither did I, Sweetheart," he growled.

"You agreed!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "_And_ it was your idea to find him in the first place!"

He took another step forward. "I had no idea he'd be all over you all the time!"

"It's not like I can control what he does," she snapped as she folded her arms over her chest again.

"I know," he grumbled. "But that doesn't change things."

"What things?" she replied stiffly, finally noticing how close they were to each other.

"I can't touch you," he said harshly. "Being with you is all I got."

She blinked up at him with a surprised expression.

"And having Gambit and Bobby in the w-"

"Oh my god!" she cried in frustration, stepping away from him. "Will you let the Bobby thing go?"

"Maybe if you gave me a real explanation," he growled, advancing toward her.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," she said stubbornly, turning away from him in defiance.

He growled to himself. "Will you stop acting like a…" he trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"Like what?" she challenged with a glance over her shoulder.

"A child," he growled.

She whirled on him, her jaw dropped. "A child?" With a shake of her head, she added, "That's all you see me as, isn't it?"

"If you're acting like one," he replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And you can be such an ass!" she shouted. He'd finally pushed one too many buttons and she'd had it. Some violent soul must've inhabited her body because she actually raised her hand and fully intended to slap him.

But Logan shot a hand out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her, skin on skin. "You need to calm down, Marie!"

"Let go, Logan!" she snapped, raising her other hand to slap him.

He caught onto her second hand, and said, "Calm down, Kid."

"Logan, stop touching me!" she screamed in panic, trying to pull her arms from his grasp.

Stubbornly, he just held on tighter. "Marie, calm down!"

"Logan, please!" she begged, still struggling against his grip. "If you don't let me go, I'll kill you!"

"Don't threaten-" He stopped short, finally realizing that what she was saying wasn't a threat, but an inevitability.

Slowly, Logan released her hands, and she snatched them back like he burned her, rubbing her wrists. "I could've killed you…" she said softly, all of their anger seemingly forgotten.

But the gears in Logan's head were turning. He'd held on for too long… and yet was somehow unaffected. Something was different this time…

He stepped forward and placed a hand on her cheek, skin against skin.

"What are you doing?" she asked in shock, stepping out of his reach. "I could kill you."

Again, he stepped toward her. "Will you just trust me? I want to try something."

She looked up at him with a worried expression. But he stared back at her with a sure and steady gaze. He knew what he was doing. "Okay," she replied softly.

"Close your eyes," he instructed gently.

Her eyelids fluttered shut and she waited.

One of Logan's hands moved to her hip, nestling under the edge of her shirt. His rough and callused fingers brushed the soft skin of her waist, sending goose bumps over her skin. His other hand brushed a strand of hair from her face and rested on her cheek. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was gentle but passionate. It was wanted but terrifying. It was safe but dangerous.

It lingered for a moment before Logan pulled away, staring into her deep brown eyes. His hands didn't move. "I told you to trust me, didn't I?"

She stared at him in confusion. "I don't understand… my powers-"

He cut her off with his lips on hers and backed her up until she was pressed against the door. His lips attacked hers, unforgiving. Being able to kiss her after so long was amazing, and he had no intention of stopping.

His lips trailed down her jaw and moved to her neck. "Logan…" she said, trying to ignore the tingling throughout her whole body. "Stop…"

"Nuh-uh," he protested, pulling away just long enough to speak. "I've waited months for this, _we've_ waited for this for months… I'm not stopping now."

She had to admit that she was enjoying this just as much as he was. There was no doubt that he was, she could feel it against her hip. "But, Logan, my powers could-"

"Don't care," he grumbled against her skin before giving her a small nip on the neck. "I just want you."

"I'm still mad, you know," she said, relishing the feel of his hands on her bare sides, she hissed in pleasure as he nibbled her neck. "About what you said, I mean."

"Yell at me later," he replied with a smirk before placing another passionate kiss on the lips.

This time, she didn't make him stop. She deepened the kiss, letting his tongue slide into her mouth. He pressed against her, eliciting a moan.

His lips moved down her neck again as the hand on her hip slid down to cup her thigh. There wasn't any hesitation before she wrapped her leg around his waist. Logan took that as an invitation to grab the other leg and hoist her up, leaving only her grip around wait and the wall to keep her up.

Rogue ripped open his plaid shirt, sending the buttons flying. She pushed it down his shoulders and he flung it off to the side. Impatiently, she found the hem of his wife-beater and yanked it over his head, tossing it to the floor with his other shirt.

As her hands roamed his upper body, his roamed hers. They slid up her sides, gliding over the soft skin. In a swift motion, he pulled it over her head and discarded it with their other clothes.

Logan chuckled as he looked at her. Instead of a bra, she happened to be wearing a black and white checkered bikini top.

"I haven't done laundry in like a week," she explained, biting her bottom lip.

He smirked. "You wearing the bottoms, too?"

Her face was starting to burn bright red as she looked up at him cutely. "I'm not wearing any…"

He let out a satisfied grunt before swinging around and dropping her down onto the bed. Within seconds, he was on her, taking her lips in his. He ground down onto her hips as his lips moved back down her neck and across her collarbone. He kissed down her sternum before licking over the exposed part of her breast.

Finally tired of the fabric in his way, he tugged on the knot, letting it fall loose, and pulled it over her head.

He stared down at her exposed upper body, pinning her wrists, then leaned down and started kissing from her navel up. She squirmed under his touch as he kicked off his boots. His heated kisses sent goose bumps all over her body, making her moan.

His lips found one of her nipples, biting down. With an arch of her back, she whimpered. This spurred Logan on, his hands moving from her wrists to the waistband of her jeans.

He unzipped her jeans before sliding his hand in. She gasped as his fingers brushed against her clit and his mouth moved to her other nipple.

Rogue's hands found the zipper of his jeans, while his fingers pinched and flicked her clit, and slid them down his hips. Once he kicked them off, her hand slipped into his boxers, gripping his hard dick forcefully.

He groaned and moved his mouth from her nipple up to her mouth again.

"Condom," she gasped between kisses.

He pulled away and looked down at her. "We used the only one I had," he replied.

She furrowed her brow at him. "You didn't bring more?"

"It's not like I expected this to happen," he said with a chuckle.

Rolling her eyes, she sat up, pulling her hand from his boxers. "I'll go check the bathroom for one."

"The bathroom?" he asked in confusion.

"This place is made for sex," she called from the bathroom. "There has to be one here!" There was a moment of silence before she called, "Found one!" She found a dispenser mounted on the wall over the toilet. Leave it to Gambit to find the skuzziest hotel. A few quarters later, she turned the knob and grabbed the little square.

Logan stood as Rogue came back into the room with a small foil package in hand. He pulled her into him again before pushing her back up against the door.

He kissed her deeply and pushed her jeans down her hips. His fingers found her clit again and ran over it, making her moan as she struggled to kick off her jeans.

His lips kissed down her neck, giving her the opportunity to slip his boxers off. She ripped open the condom with her mouth and rolled it onto his hardened member.

His fingers bumped of her clit one more time, and she whimpered. "I need you, Logan."

There was no hesitation for him. He hoisted her up again before nestling her body down onto his.

He entered her tightness, both groaning at the sensation. Once he entered her all the way, he pulled back out slowly before thrusting into her again.

Their movements against each other were desperate and rough, needier than the last time. He thrust into her forcefully, making her whimper and moan. She struggled to find something to grip onto, feeling unsteady in his grip, but enjoying it just the same.

They moved together, bodies sweating. The feeling of her around him was just intoxicating to Logan. Everything about it made him want to never let her go again.

His thrusts sped up, pounding into her until she cried out his name as she climaxed. Her muscles tightened around him, causing him to spill into the condom with a few slow thrusts and a grunt.

They breathed heavily for a moment, holding onto each other, Marie still pinned to the door and Logan still inside her. He kissed and nibbled on her neck and ear sliding to his knees. He looked into her eyes and smiled before he pulled out of her and let her back down to the floor. The room was quiet except for them trying to catch their breaths as Logan threw away the condom and Rogue collapsed onto the bed.

He dropped down next to her and pulled the covers around them. "Never thought we'd get to do that again," he said gruffly.

She curled up against his side with a smile and breathed, "Me either."

Logan looked down at her with a grin and asked breathlessly, "Wanna go again?"

* * *

AN: There you go. Smut. Finally. I think it could've been better but whatever. Here it is. Please review as always.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. Or the characters. Or other characters not from X-Men. I'm just saying.

* * *

Chapter 8

Bobby knocked on the door to Kitty's dorm room. He hadn't seen her all day and it was starting to worry him.

He heard shifting on the other side of the door before it cracked open, revealing Kitty's flushed face. "Oh, hey," she said, "what's up?"

"Where you been all day, Kitty Cat?" he asked with concern.

She wiped away the sweat on her brow. "Oh, sorry, Bob Cat," she replied, "I haven't been feeling well today. Just been resting."

"Oh," he said. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just need to sleep it off."

He gave her a small comforting smile. "Okay, honey. Feel better, okay?"

She smiled back. "I will, baby."

With a wave, Bobby headed off down the hall. Kitty watched, making sure that he'd gone before she threw her door shut and looking around the room. It was completely bare of all personal belongings, everything shoved into a large suitcase and a backpack.

She phased her head through the floor, just enough to see that no one was in the room beneath hers. When the coast was clear, she grabbed her bags and phased down into the first floor. And then, she phased through the wall to the back lawn.

It was a quick dash to the back fence, which she phased through, and she sighed. The next Greyhound bus left in an hour, and she had a bit of a walk to do.

* * *

Raven Darkhölme sighed as her boss went on and on. She hated these stupid meetings. Yes, it meant that the Mutant-Human Relations faction of the government was getting more respect now, but this part of it was just boring.

She'd joined this faction shortly after she'd lost her powers and ratted out Magneto. It was actually Hank McCoy who had approached her about joining them. He made it sound like a good place to make a difference.

And it was. But the meetings sucked.

"We'll take a short break," her boss said, "and when we return we'll hear from Dr. Hank McCoy."

The room erupted into a thunder storm of voices as most people stood and left the room. Raven stayed in her seat, just watching everyone as they left.

She was only one of three mutants in the Mutant-Human Relations office. Hank was another. Although, she couldn't really be considered a mutant anymore. But she at least _had been_ one, which was more than she could say for most of the people in the office.

In truth, she missed her power. Yes, now she could look normal without having to assume someone else's identity, but she didn't feel like herself anymore. Her powers had been a big part of who she was. Now it was gone.

And it would've been really handy at that moment to get out of that damn meeting.

She began flipping through the notes on the desk in front of her. The meeting still had at least a half an hour to go, depending on how long Hank took. He generally tried to keep it short.

As she picked up another page, she suddenly saw something strange. At first, she thought the light was playing tricks on her eyes. But the bluish tint that was starting to cover her hand was unmistakable.

It crept farther and farther up her arm, getting darker. The scaly texture was taking over as well now, sending her into a panic.

Sure, she'd wanted her powers back, but not here and not now. She could just imagine the panic around her when everyone came back in and saw her like this.

"Are you okay, Raven?" a familiar and friendly voice asked.

She looked over her shoulder to find Hank standing there with a concerned look on his face. "Oh, Hank," she said in surprise. "Yes, I'm fine."

He looked at her, not quite believing her. "Are you sure?"

She tried to cover her blue hand with her normal one. "Yes, I'm sure," she replied. "Thank you for your concern."

But Hank had seen the blue hand and gave her a serious stare. "Are your powers returning?"

Knowing that she couldn't hide it from him, she nodded. "Can I leave? I don't want to be here when it comes back completely…"

He smiled at her. "Absolutely. Let me escort you to my office, I'll take you to the mansion tonight. They'll be able to help you there."

"Don't you have to-" she started to protest as she got to her feet.

Hank looked over her as the blue slowly crept across her exposed cleavage. "I can pass on my speech, let's get you to the mansion. They'll survive without us," he interrupted, gesturing her towards the door.

* * *

Bobby and Tabby sat together on the couch, channel surfing. "I can't find anything," she admitted before tossing the remote to him. "You choose."

He chuckled, picking up the remote and flipping channels. "I don't know what makes you think that I'll be able to find something,"

But he managed to stumble across a channel and pause long enough to hear, "This is Bill Ritter with breaking news."

"Ooh, breaking news," Tabby replied with a smiled. "Let's watch."

"Over one hundred thousand gallons of oil was spilled off of the coast of Japan today when two oil tankers were attacked," Bill Ritter explained, looking directly into the camera. "The few lone survivors explain the attack as a strange force that ripped ships apart, all metal disappearing. No one saw any ships that could've been responsible. It seemed as though the attack came from nowhere. Cleaning crews are being shipped to the sight of the spill to help. This is Bill Ritter, Eyewitness News Channel Seven, with a special report."

As the screen went back to a commercial, Tabby looked to Bobby and said, "Damn. That's a lot of oil."

* * *

Pyro was so sick of this. He was tired of not knowing what they were doing next or what they were going after.

Magneto had made it clear that Roxxon and their little attack on the oil tankers were the last pieces of the puzzle. Pyro hoped that that had meant that the plan would be revealed to them.

Apparently not.

So here they were, all gathered around, ready for the next set of instructions.

"We have one more item to retrieve before we can put our plan into action," Magneto explained evenly.

"_Our_ plan?" Pyro scoffed. "This is _your_ plan. We're just along for the ride."

The leader looked at the fire starter with a smirk. "Then you are on a ride to greatness. I wouldn't question the conductor, if I were you."

Pyro dropped his argument, but asked, "So where are we going this time?"

A pleased look came over Magneto's face. "I'm so glad you asked, John. It's a place you are quite familiar with."

The younger man cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah? Where's that?"

Magneto's eyes sparkled maliciously. "Westchester."

* * *

Kitty had no idea where she was going as she stepped out onto the busy New York sidewalks. She hadn't really thought this through, she realized. She'd just wanted to get away from the mansion. And the people in it.

But what exactly was she gonna do now? Where was she supposed to go?

A business man hurried by her, accidentally knocking her over and into the street. There was the loud blare of a car horn as she stood up and looked at the car coming toward her. She felt a hand on her arm but it slipped through her as she turned on her phasing ability, just in time.

The car coasted right through her and it finally skidded to a stop. Kitty stood on the other side of it, feeling confused. Who had tried to help her?

"Come on," a voice said as its owner grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the street.

Finally out of her daze, she looked up at the guy who had a hold of her. And it definitely was not someone she'd expected. The guy was just a little bit taller than her and wearing red and blue pajamas. "Spiderman?" she asked with a squeak. "I thought you were just a myth."

* * *

AN: Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you? And BTW, this Spiderman is more like the one from the Ultimate Spiderman comics, not the Tobey Maguire Spiderman. Just saying.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or Spiderman or any other Marvel characters I may or may not bring in (I seriously don't plan on bringing in any more, but who knows?)

* * *

Chapter 9

Rogue groaned at the knock on the door and checked the clock. Three PM. Damn, how'd they sleep so long?

She scrounged up her underwear and Logan's plaid shirt form the floor and threw them on, struggling as she buttoned the shirt up most of the way, giving up when the important things were covered. When the knock came again, she yelled, "I'm coming!"

Knowing already who was on the other side of the door, she opened it, leaned against the frame, and said a little groggily, "Hi, Remy."

The Cajun's eyes immediately roamed her semi-exposed body with a hungry look. "Am I welcomed in, Cherie?"

A coy smile came across her lips. "I'm sorry, but this party's invitation only."

"Well, that's a shame," he replied, cocking an eyebrow. "I do enjoy a good party."

Logan, who'd finally woken up and slipped into a pair of jeans, came up behind Rogue, wrapping a protective arm around her waist and placed a kiss on her neck. "Get lost," he growled at Gambit with a smile. "Kinda busy, you know."

"I just came by to suggest that we get going," Gambit said, gesturing toward the parking garage. "So get your clothes on, we're leaving in five."

Rogue closed the door on him and turned to face Logan. "Mornin'," she said with a soft smile.

"Mornin'," he replied, kissing her gently on the lips while he pressed her against the door. "You know… we have five minutes…" He wrapped his arms around her lower waist and pulled her close.

She looked up at him with her soft smile becoming sultry. "Oh, Logan, you know that it takes much longer than that."

* * *

"Wait… so you were really bitten by a radioactive spider?" Kitty asked Spiderman in disbelief.

Shortly after her brush with death, Spidey had web-swung them to the top of a building, where they would be out of the way of traffic. They sat with their backs up against the guard wall that kept people from falling off. "Yep, it's all true," he replied with a chuckle.

"That is so cool!" she said excitedly with a wide smile.

It looked as though he was looking directly at her, but it was hard for Kitty to tell through the mask. The white lenses reflected almost everything, warping the images around his head, making it hard to see what was going on under there. "Well, what about being an X-Men?" he asked, adjusting his web shooters. "That's gotta be pretty cool."

Her energy dropped, and she let her gaze fall to her shoes. With a shrug, she said, "I guess. At least, it was for a while. But there hasn't been much action lately, you know? It's mostly been classes at the institute, helping the new recruits, and taking care of those who received the cure and had their powers come back. And the people haven't really been all that great lately…"

He stopped fiddling with the spinneret and looked at her. Or near her, at least, the eyes still threw her a bit. "Why's that?" he asked in a sincere voice.

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh, no way. I'm not opening that can of worms." She looked away from him across the roof; he didn't need to know all of this.

"I like worms," he replied, waving his arms playfully. His body was fairly expressive to make up for the lack of facial expression, but it sounded like he was smiling.

Kitty looked up at him and chuckled. "Okay, but you asked for it."

* * *

After making the Cajun wait for another half hour, Rogue and Logan met him in the parking garage. "About time you showed," he drawled with a subtle annoyance.

"Sorry," Rogue replied in an unapologetic voice as she straddled the bike, "we got a little distracted."

"I had a right mind to leave you," he said, leaning against his car.

"But you didn't," Logan replied tightening the helmet he wore simply to avoid police attention. "So what's the plan?"

"Well," Gambit started, "I'm a might peckish. I say we get food and hit the road."

"Lead the way," Logan instructed him, joining Rogue on the bike.

As they rode in silence, Rouge held onto Logan's middle tightly, watching the scenery go by. She felt at peace for a few minutes before they arrived at a small café. The three went inside and took over a table in the back.

Cutting right to the chase, Gambit looked to Rogue, leaned across the table so no one outside the three could hear and said, "I don't appreciate being lied to. I thought you couldn't touch anyone, girl. "

Rogue shrugged. "I ain't lying, I thought so, too."

A smirk crossed his face. "I suppose that means that _I_ could just…" he started to say as his hand reached over the table, going for her bare wrist.

Logan caught his hand before it got to her. "She still knocked out the guy in the bar," he reminded him, "and I don't like your tone of voice. I would change it if I were you."

Gambit pulled his hand back quickly. "Then I'm afraid that I don't understand. What is going on with your powers?" His eyes narrowed in confusion, as if squinting at her would suddenly bring light to the situation.

She shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine." She sat back in her chair. Three people leaning in like that draws some attention.

"It just gives us another reason to get back home," Logan said pointedly, looking at her. "Let's get our food so we can get on the road."

* * *

Kitty finished telling Spiderman all about her life at the mansion. She spared no detail, even explaining all about Rogue and Bobby. There was nothing about the past few years that Spiderman didn't know about.

"So you overhead Bobby telling Rogue about how he was having feelings for Tabby," he reiterated, "and so you got upset and took off?" His legs were crossed and he was leaning in intently.

She nodded. "I know. I'm not sure what I was thinking. It just seemed to work for Rogue." Kitty pulled her feet closer to her as she tried to make herself into the smallest ball she could.

"And where's Rogue now?" he asked, making a point to keep the appearance of eye contact.

Kitty shrugged, looking to her feet again. "I don't know. Wandering around the country with Wolverine, I think. It's been a while since he left to get her and no one has heard from them in a few weeks."

He chuckled. "Is that really where you wanna be?"

A smile came over her lips, and she chuckled a little. "No, I guess not. I just…" She sighed, returning to the solemn tone of before. "I just don't want to go back there yet. I need to take a break from the mansion."

There was a moment of silence before Spiderman hopped to his feet with more flourish then necessary. As he landed, he said, "Come on, I got a place for you to crash." He reached out his hand and Kitty grabbed it, pulling herself to her feet.

* * *

Bobby knocked on Kitty's door. He hadn't seen her since she said that she wasn't feeling well that afternoon. It worried him.

When there wasn't an answer, he knocked again. Still no answer. He reached for the doorknob when a familiar voice sighed out, "She's not there." There was a bit of a whine to it as there always was when he spoke.

He turned; coming face to face with Wither. The kid had a propensity for sneaking up behind people and croaking something cryptic. And it seemed like that kid never smiled, and that his eyes were always half open, like he wasn't really awake. "Oh, hey, Wither," Bobby replied. "Do you know where she is?"

Wither shrugged. "I don't know. I saw her phase through the back fence a few hours ago. She had a suitcase and backpack with her." He blew his hair out of his eyes.

"Wait…" Bobby said, trying to process this and shaking his head. "When was this?"

"I told you," Wither replied in a bored tone, looking back into his book, "a few hours ago."

"Thanks," the older mutant growled. "You're a real help."

Wither just glared after him over his book as he ran off down the hall. "No problem."

* * *

By the time Hank and Raven arrived back at the mansion, the blue had spread over her chest, both arms, and was starting up her neck. The scales were spreading as well.

"Don't worry, Raven," he reassured her jovially, "we'll take good care of you here." He patted her on the shoulder as she got out of the car.

"I can't believe this is back," she said softly. "It's just so weird." She looked at her hands; she hadn't been able to look away since they got off the private jet from DC.

"Yes," Hank replied as he led her down the pathways to the door. "I'm doing some research right now to figure out what exactly causes a cured mutant's abilities to return. However, so far, none seem to be consistent with each other."

Raven's eyes traced the crown molding on the vaulted ceilings as they walked through the halls. The building was much nicer then she remembered it. The kids looked at her as she followed Hank through the labyrinth of twisting and winding halls and corridors. The prying eyes made her feel uncomfortable, it was like they all knew that any second she could look as blue as the seven foot mutant in front of her. And that's when she looked at him, and for the first time in a long time really noticed how proudly and how powerfully he walked. He was so different from the other people around him but didn't let it bother him.

"So it's different for every mutant?" she asked as they stopped outside of Storm's office.

"As far as I can tell," he replied. He gestured her through the door and said, "After you."

They stepped into the room, where the headmistress was taking a phone call. She held up a finger to them, letting them know that she knew they were there and that she would be getting to them in a moment. "Thank you, I'll be waiting for your call." She hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose, nursing a quickly occurring headache. "Hello, Hank," she said, opening her eyes and looking up. "What can I help you with?"

"This is Raven Darkhölme, formerly known as… uh, Mystique," he explained, catching Storm's full attention. He knew that her mutant name would ring a bell. "She works with me in Mutant-Human Relations, and her powers have started to return.

Storm looked her over. "Yes, I can see that," she said. "Well, we can most certainly help her here, but at the moment we have a bit of a crisis."

"Oh?" Hank asked. "And what kind of crisis would that be?"

She sighed. "It appears that Kitty Pryde has run away."

* * *

AN: Pretty low-key chapter, but it helps along with forming more stories that I plan on unleashing on you guys. So yeah. Anyway, reviews would be great.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer:

I don't own X-men.

* * *

Chapter 10

_Three days later…_

Rogue and Logan stepped into the small motel room. She threw her bag onto the floor as Logan stripped off his leather jacket, all in silence. She sat down on the bed, looking up at him expectantly.

"We'll be back home tomorrow," he said, running a comforting hand over her hair.

She nodded slowly, her worry coming across her face. "I know. I don't think I'm ready for that…"

He kissed her gently on the top of her head before sitting down next to her and clutching her hand tightly. "Hank will probably be able to figure out what's going on with your powers." Logan was pretty sure that that would be a good lure to get her back there. He knew that she'd never really wanted to return to the mansion in the first place.

With a sigh, she pulled her hand away and turned her body to face him, sitting cross-legged. "I'm not even sure that I _want_ to know anymore."

He turned his body to face her. "This is a good thing, kid."

"It's just…" She sighed heavily as her gaze moved to her hands. "What if something goes wrong? Or what if my powers come back and I can't touch you? I just don't want to ruin what we've just figured out…"

"But what if it means a step toward control?" he counted, picking up her hand again. "What if the tests help you figure this all out?"

Her gaze moved from her hands to the bedspread. "I guess…"

But Logan knew that the tests weren't the only thing bothering her. "What else is on your mind, kid?"

"The mansion," she said tiredly with a shake of her head. "Everything there. I mean… what happens to us when we get back?"

He furrowed his brow, looking to the ceiling. "What are you talking about?"

She looked up at him with an incredulous look. "You. Me. Whatever this is that's going on between us. When we get back to the mansion, it ends, right?"

"It doesn't have to," he replied simply, dropping his gaze back down to her.

She rolled her big brown eyes. "'Cause a relationship between a student and a teacher is totally possible," she replied sarcastically, looking away from him. "Face it, this is over."

"Hey," he said stiffly, grabbing her chin and turning her head so she looked straight at him. "This isn't over until we both agree it is, okay? And I'm not even really a teacher at the mansion, so it doesn't matter. This… _thing_ between us isn't going to change when we get back, okay?"

Rogue nodded, causing him to let go, but she kept her eyes on him. His eyes were soft and honest. "Yeah, okay."

He smiled at her. "Anything else?"

"Bobby's being a tool," she responded with a grin. "But what else is new?"

Logan let out a deep chuckle and cupped her face in his hands. "I love you, Marie. Things will be okay."

She nodded before leaning forward and kissing him.

* * *

Mystique stood naked in front of the mirror in her room. Her entire body was a deep blue and scales covered her again. The scales were small and smooth most places but around her shoulders and hips, breasts and arms they stood out more, darker blue and more ridged. Her dark hair had turned back into its vibrant shade of red. It wasn't slicked back it used to be, just hanging loosely around her face, gracing her shoulders at its longest and curling slightly at the ends.

Life at the mansion had been a lot different than she had thought it would be. It was a much more relaxed than she had expected it to be. With it being called an institute, she'd imagined that the students would be at least wearing uniforms.

But no. It was just like a normal high school. Just one that was safe for mutants.

She smiled to herself. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Tabby caught up with Bobby in the hall on his way to Mutant-American History. She hadn't seen much of him since Kitty had disappeared, and it had sorta bummed her out. It was fair that he would be upset and that he'd need space, but now she wanted to talk to him. "What's up, Bobby?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Not much, I guess."

With a punch to his arm, she said, "Cheer up, dude! It's not the end of the world."

His look was one of confusion of despair as he looked up at her. "I know. I just… don't know what to do."

She didn't reply but just stared back at him.

"Rogue told Logan that she was going home," he explained. "I knew she wasn't coming back. That's why I had no problem moving on. But with Kitty…"

It all made sense to Tabby now. Bobby had been avoiding her because he wasn't sure if his relationship with Kitty was over or not. And her being around probably didn't help him think.

"I don't even know where Kitty is now," he said with a sigh. "I hope she isn't in some kinda trouble."

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping with the dishes, Kitty," Aunt May said as she put the leftovers into the fridge.

Kitty finished putting the clean dishes away. "It's no problem at all, Mrs. Parker. Thank you again for letting me stay here."

The elderly woman smiled kindly. "It's not trouble at all, dear, especially with what you have been through. And, please, call me Aunt May."

The young mutant returned the smile. "Well, thank you, Aunt May."

Peter came into the kitchen. "How's it going in here?" he asked as he grabbed two sodas from the fridge and handed one over to Kitty.

"Just finishing up," Aunt May said, looking adorningly at her nephew. "Now, I think I'm going to crawl into bed and read." The elderly woman eyed Kitty with a smile, "Goodnight," she added, kissing Peter's forehead.

"Goodnight, Aunt May," he and Kitty both replied.

Once the old woman was out of earshot, Kitty asked, "Who does she think I am again?"

"A friend from school," he explained in a hushed voice, cracking open his drink.

"And why am I here again?" she prodded, trying to keep her cover story straight if it came up.

"You had a huge fight with your dad and needed a place to stay while things blew over," he said as though it were as much fact as the spandex under his clothes. "Now, let's go watch a movie."

Kitty followed him into the family room asking, "So… you graduated high school and are in college now, right?"

He pulled a DVD from the cabinet and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

She shrugged, dropping down onto the couch. "Well, I'm just wondering why you still live at home."

"Well," he said, putting the disk into the player and joining her on the couch, "I just like being here for Aunt May. I think she gets lonely now that Uncle Ben is gone." He looked distant for a bit when he said his name.

"That's really sweet," she replied with a sympathetic smile.

They started the first Indiana Jones movie but only got five minutes in before Peter sat back and said, "I think we should take you back to the mansion tomorrow."

Kitty looked at him in confusion. "Wait… what? Why?"

He sighed. "We agreed that this was a temporary thing," he reminded her. "Just to give you a break from the mansion."

Pulling her knees up to her chest and clasping her hands around them, she twisted her face into a pout. "I know, I just thought that it'd be more like a week…"

"The longer you wait the harder it will be to go back," he explained with a knowing smile.

She couldn't help but smile back. "God, it was so much easier to get my way when I was dealing with Bobby. How'd you get so smart about this stuff?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Natural talent?" He chuckled before his face softened into something more serious. "And I've had to deal with seeing Mary Jane around… We have a few classes together."

She gave him a kindhearted look. "What happened with her anyways?"

Again, he shrugged. "I guess it was because she couldn't handle me being Spiderman." With a sigh, he added, "She just… she kept getting caught!"

A laugh erupted from deep inside her, despite her efforts to keep it back. "I'm sorry," she said, covering her mouth as if that would stifle it, "but it's kinda funny."

The thin line of his mouth curved up into a smile and he laughed. "Yeah, I guess it kinda is. I mean, I'd tell her to stay behind, but she wouldn't listen. Of course she's gonna get caught!"

"Exactly," she replied with a curt nod.

He looked at her with a soft look on his face. "Thanks for understanding, Kitty," he said gently.

She shrugged. "What're friends for?"

He blinked a little. She had said it, and he had to assume it was true; they were friends. He had only met her a little while ago, but he felt like he knew her better in the last three days then he had Harry or MJ their whole lives. Kitty didn't hesitate to acknowledge her friendship with him, if nothing else he quickly let her in on his secret identity, earning a solid place in her heart that had been relatively empty. They gazed at each other for a moment before they both leaned in. Their lips connected in a soft and sweet kiss.

When they pulled apart, Peter looked down at her. "You know this doesn't change my mind about taking you back to the mansion, right?"

"Damn it," she replied playfully. In truth, she'd sorta hoped it had.

* * *

The next day, Rogue and Logan zoomed by the "Welcome to Westchester" sigh with Gambit close behind them, and Rogue could feel her chest tighten uncomfortably. "Can we stop somewhere?" she called over the roar of the motorcycle.

Logan nodded wordlessly in reply and turned off into the parking lot of a small inn. Gambit followed after them and cut his engine. "What's going on?" he asked as he climbed out of his car.

Rogue and Logan dismounted and turned to face him. "I just, uh…" she started.

"She doesn't want to go back yet," Logan finished for her.

Gambit leaned against the hood of his car. "Then what do you suggest?"

"One more night," Logan insisted. "Just get a room here," he suggested, gesturing to the inn, "and tomorrow we'll go to the mansion. Deal?"

The Cajun hesitated, thinking it over. "Alright. One more night."

The three of them left their vehicles and went into the inn. Even with the vaulted ceilings and wide windows, the lobby was homey, as if they were stepping into someone's living room. A girl, who was a little older than Rogue and had long brown hair, was standing behind a desk towards the back wall. "Can I help you?" she asked in a cheery voice.

Gambit sauntered up to the desk and leaned against it. "Why yes, mademoiselle. I would be much obliged if you could find us two room, s'il vous plait."

The girl smiled as a blush crept over her face. "Alright, let me see what I can do." She focused on the computer but dared a glance back up at him. "I guess you want to share a room with your girlfriend, huh?"

"Marie is just a dear friend, Cherie," he replied with a smarmy grin. "I'm free as a bird. In fact, I'm looking for a girl just like you."

The girl giggled in a way that made both Logan and Rogue roll their eyes. This guy was just unbelievable. "Hey, Remy," Rogue called to him, "do you think you could stop flirting long enough for me and Logan to get the key to _our_ room?"

But the Cajun didn't get a chance to rebut. At that moment, a tall slender man with shaggy brown hair came out from the back room. "Dana," he said, looking to the girl behind the desk, "I need to run out for a moment. Can you hold down the fort?"

She nodded at him. "Sure thing, bossman."

Rogue focused on the boss, looking at him as if she was trying to solve a puzzle. His face drew her in, there was a feeling tugging at her brain. Who was this guy and why was he bringing up such a strong moment of déjà vu?

"Does that guy look familiar to you?" Logan asked her in a hushed voice.

Her head nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!" she whispered. "Who is he?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I can't place it…"

It didn't take them long to figure it out once the boss slid a pair of sunglasses on and turned toward them. "Scott?" Rogue practically screamed.

* * *

AN: I really need to stop doing this to yo, don't I? Well, this is chapter ten, which means: DUN DUN DUN! ONLY THE EPILOGUE LEFT IN THIS INSTALLMENT! Then three more weeks until the third one. Which I'm already halfway done with… so yeah. And I'm saving the best surprise for next chapter. Review!


	12. Epilogue

Dislcaimer: I don't own X-Men. Or Spiderman. Or any other Marvel comic characters. Which I don't plan on bringing in. I swear!

* * *

Epilogue

Darkness had fallen over Westchester. All lights but one had been turned out. And outside of the front gate waited three mutants ready for an attack.

"I didn't sign on for kidnapping, Magneto," Pyro snapped in a hushed voice.

"You signed on for whatever I ask of you, John," the leader replied in his normal even tone. "This is just one small part of the big picture."

"And what exactly _is_ the big picture?" the fire starter demanded.

Magneto smiled. "All in due time."

Pyro sighed, glancing up to the school and furrowing his brow. "Okay, fine, we're taking a kid. Whatever. But I know Xavier's security. It's tight. We can't just go busting in without causing a riot, and I'm not _killing_ kids."

"I agree," the older mutant replied.

The youngest one faltered, astounded. He glanced over his shoulder to Sabertooth. "Did he just agree with me?"

The beast-like man just nodded in reply.

"Do you still have that belt, John?" the graying man asked.

Confused, Pyro nodded, looking down at the heavy buckle with the four set-in triangles forming the "X" in the middle. "Yeah, why?" The leather was worn and scorched, and the buckle was starting to chip in places as well as a few places where the steel was dented from one adventure or another.

"Please, hand it over," Magneto insisted, holding out his hand.

Grumbling under his breath, John removed the belt and handed it out to him. "So what does that have to do with anything?"

The leader called the "X" belt buckle over with a wave of his hand. "This is a tracker."

"What?" Pyro snapped. "They've been tracking us this whole time?"

Magneto smirked. "_If_ I hadn't blocked it, they would've thought that they were tracking the Wolverine."

"Okay, but-" the fire starter stammered.

"There is also a sensor in here," the older mutant explained, fingering the chromed steel exterior of the buckle. "Once it gets close enough to the front gate and front door, it unlocks them both. However, it does not turn off the security system so we need to disable that once inside."

"How do we do that?" John asked.

"But you'll still need these," Magneto said, ignoring the question and offering sleek-looking guns to each of them from a suitcase at his side.

"These look like paintball guns," Pyro protested, picking his up. Looking at the futuristic slide and trigger guard, there was a small CO2 tank at the rear of the gun to propel the ammo. When he held it he noticed the clip full of needle tipped darts. "Tranquilizers?" he said, wrapping his hand around the custom-fit grip.

"Just in case someone gets in your way," their leader explained. "You are not to use your special abilities under any circumstances."

"No problem," the youngest one replied, aiming the weapon at a rabbit.

"And our employer sent us these to help us infiltrate the mansion and turn off the security system," Magneto added, gesturing to the shadowed area over his shoulder.

Pyro looked up suddenly. "Our _employer_?" he repeated. "What employer? I thought that this was just us. What do you _mean_ emp-"

"And I thought I talked a lot," a cocky voice interrupted from the shadows.

Instinctively, Pyro flicked on a flame, turning in the direction of the voice. Two people could be seen in the dim light of Pyro's flame.

"Down, boy," a female voice said as two figures came from the shadows. "Friends, not foes."

"Glad you could join us," Magneto replied with a pleased smile. "This is Deadpool and Domino."

Finally, Pyro and Sabertooth could see the figures in their entirety. One was a woman. She was tall and skinny, her skin was a deathly pale color and her hair was a contrasting deep black and reflected the light in a blue hue. But that wasn't the most noticeable thing about her. Over her right eye was a dark spot, as black as her hair, and in an almost diamond shape. Whether this was war paint or something else, no one could say for sure, but it made her pale skin look even lighter. The other was a man, but he wore a full body suit, including a mask. It was red and black, and he had two swords strapped to his back. And both of them had all manner of utility belts and side bags adorned with assorted grenades and side arms. They looked ready for war.

"So what's the plan?" Deadpool asked, folding his arms across his chest.

John pointing an accusatory finger at the pair and grew angry. "I thought you said we weren't going to be killing anyone, Magneto!"

The one in the red and black body suit looked at himself and Domino. "Cool your jets, Hothead, none of this stuff can kill anyone."

Pyro was still not calming down as he grabbed for one of his swords. "What about these?" Before Pyro got a hand around one of the hilts, he was laying on his back on the sidewalk and Domino had him pinned with her foot.

To this Deadpool snorted, pulling the swords from their sheaths. Twirling them around mindlessly, he said, "They're just lucky. No one's gonna die by these blades, okay?"

"This is our target," Magneto explained, handing each of them a photo, ignoring the coughing Pyro on the ground. "No harm is to come to him or anyone else in the mansion. No powers. It's a simple capture. Split up, find him, and get out. Any questions?"

"What's his name?" Pyro asked, still groaning from the cement.

"What's that matter?" Deadpool replied, helping him up in annoyance.

"Kids at Xavier's will sometimes put stuff on their doors that make it known that it's _their _room," the fire starter snapped back, brushing off his clothes of dirt. "I just thought he might be one of the losers who did that." It was hard for John to keep his normally defiant confidence with this guy in the room.

"I bet you were one," the costumed man said, sounding like he was rolling his eyes.

Before Pyro could retort, Magneto explained, "Nobody knows his real name, but everybody at the mansion calls him Forge."

* * *

AN: I know, I'm evil. Oh, and the Deadpool that I imagine is the one from the comics, not the one that the put in the Origins movie. Just thought I'd make that clear.

And now you have to wait three more weeks until I start posting the next installment of the "Stand Together" series, aka this one.

Now, I've been trying to count up the number of people that Rogue has touched throughout the movies and my stories, and I think that I've got them all. However, my boyfriend and I have been having a disagreement about something: in the third movie, in the opening danger room scene, Peter puts a hand on Rogue's head and that coats her in metal. Now the question: is that Peter's powers just coating Rogue in metal or did she absorb his power in order to do that? I'd like to hear your opinions! Let me know in your reviews!

Also, today, I'm also posting the first chapter of a side X-men project that I wrote a few months ago called "Waiting." It's very different from these stories, more romance and less action. Feel free to check it out.

So please review and I will see you all in three weeks.


	13. Note

Note: The next installment of this series has been posted. It is called Under Certain Authority. Please, check it out.


End file.
